Immigration

The New Zealand Government implemented short-term changes in July to enable employer-assisted work visa holders to remain in New Zealand lawfully past the expiry of their visa. This resulted in an automated 6-months extension from the expiry of their current visa. Their family was previously excluded from this automatic extension. What changes? The change now allows for the family of a worker to have their temporary visas automatically extended, in line with the principal applicant’s (worker). The family includes partners …

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Immigration New Zealand is temporarily suspending the ability for overseas applicants to apply for certain temporary visas. You may still qualify under a specific category or exemptions criteria More information (INZ website) Who is NOT impacted? Are you currently in New Zealand? No change If you are in New Zealand, you can still submit any visa application as long as you meet the requirements of the category applied under. Residence applications, no change If you are overseas, you can still …

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The New Zealand Government is implementing short-term changes to enable temporary visa holders to remain in New Zealand lawfully. Why these measures? These temporary measures are meant to mitigate the impact that COVID-19 has had on migrants and New Zealand business. More information (INZ website) Extension for work visa holders Effective 10 July 2020 Employer-assisted work visa holders whose visas expire from 10 July to 31 December 2020 (inclusive) will be automatically extended by 6 months from their expiry date. …

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The COVID-19 crisis has put many migrants in New Zealand in a difficult position, and the New Zealand Government is responding with a set of initiatives to help alleviate this hardship. Are you a foreign national in need? There may be one or several organisations and initiatives that can provide assistance during these difficult times. Healthcare information All migrants with a work visa for 2 years or more –and their family– are eligible for public-funded healthcare. You are therefore entitled …

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Exemptions to border restrictions Update 19 April 2021 It is no longer required for the partners and dependent children of New Zealand citizens and residents to travel with their New Zealand citizen or resident partner/parent to New Zealand, they can now travel on their own to join the partner/parent, as long as they are from visa-waiver country. Contact us if you are in a relationship with a NZ citizen or resident and which to relocate to New Zealand   Eligibility …

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COVID-19 The Coronavirus crisis has heavily impacted Immigration New Zealand’s capacity to process all categories of visas, and has had an impact on visa applicants, accordingly. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, INZ has implemented the Epidemic Management Notice, which means applications from individuals who have a critical purpose for coming to New Zealand and some temporary visa categories for onshore visa applicants were strictly prioritised. May 2020 update 70% of onshore Immigration Officers are currently able to work, and increasing. …

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Update 13 May 2021 Immigration New Zealand suspended the ability for overseas applicants to apply for certain temporary visas on 10 August 2020. This suspension is being extended to 6 August 2021. If you submitted a temporary visa application from offshore before the suspension and it has not been processed yet, it will remain paused until the suspension is lifted. Despite the current restrictions, it remains possible to travel to New Zealand under certain conditions and eligibility criteria More information …

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New Zealand temporary border closures and exceptions INZ has clarified the exceptions that will qualify to enter New Zealand during the temporary travel ban: Essential health workers, as confirmed by the Ministry of Health Other essential workers, as confirmed by the New Zealand Government Citizens of Samoa and Tonga making essential travel to New Zealand People coming to New Zealand for humanitarian reasons Partners, dependent children and legal guardians of, and who are traveling with: New Zealand citizens or permanent …

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